The life of a bookworm looks simple. Wake up, read, sleep, and repeat. But it’s more complicated. A lot goes on behind a complete reading experience. The process starts with picking the right book, which means finding the right person to recommend books. However, it doesn’t end there. When you shut the book, you start building your opinions, suggestions, conspiracy theories, etc.
Best Celebrity Book Clubs!
Only a reader can understand the agony of having all these ideas and opinions but not having a proper place to channel them. In a nutshell, you need a book club to complete your reading experience. Book clubs allow you to participate in book discussions, be introduced to new emerging authors, and learn more about a particular theme. And what better place to start than to join your favorite celebrity’s book club? Here are ten celebrity book clubs that are winning hearts at the moment.Â
1. Oprah’s Book Club by Oprah Winfrey
There’s no way I can talk about book clubs without mentioning one of the world’s most significant ones. Oprah’s Book Club has left an incredible impact on the lives of millions. The club started in 1996 as a book discussion segment of her American Talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. Owing to the show’s popularity, many underrated novels sold millions of copies. Authors like Eckhart Tolle joined Oprah to discuss their books as a part of a series on Oprah.com. Here are some of my favorite picks from Oprah’s Book Club selection – The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou, Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman, One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.Â
2. Belletrist Book Club by Emma Roberts & Karah Preiss
Emma Rose Roberts, famously known for her roles in horror and thriller television and film projects, founded the Belletrist Book Club with her best friend, Karah Preiss. Karah Preiss is an executive producer and writer. The duo has now turned the famous book club brand into Belletrist Productions, where they focus on producing films and tv shows. Belletrist Book Club is all about celebrating great books and the readers who pick those great books. I particularly love the Belletrist Book Club because of the way it started. Best friends Emma and Karah were long-distance friends, Emma living in LA and the latter in New York.
They used to send each other books in the mail and write cute little notes on them. The two friends would share book recommendations, and soon books became the core of their friendship. Emma and Karah have similar tastes, but their choices are sometimes unique, bringing a beautiful contrast on the surface. I especially loved these books from the Belltrist Book Club – I Love You, But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins, Outlawed by Anna North, and Animal by Lisa Taddeo.
3. Reese’s Book Club by Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon is one of the most loved celebrities. Her latest movie, Your Place Or Mine, with co-start Ashton Kutcher, is like a breath of fresh air. The movie felt like a book that I was reading. Did you know that other than acting, Reese is highly passionate about books? So much so that she founded her book club. The official website of Reese’s Book Club identifies her as the ‘book-lover-in-chief,’ and it has to be the cutest thing ever!
Reese doesn’t have any particular formula for selecting the books for the book club, but she makes sure that the book she chooses is a woman-centric story. Reese’s Book Club also has two brand partners, Buick and Lavazza. The most exciting element of Reese’s Book Club has to be the Reading Box, the perfect gift box of books and self-care goodies.
What I love the most about her book club shop is that they use all the proceeds from their shop sale for their pay-it-forward program to advance literacy one page at a time. Now, isn’t that lovely? Here are some of my favorite picks from Reese’s Book Club Selection – The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah, The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Daise Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown.
4. Noname Book Club by Noname
The Noname Book Club is run by Fatima Nyeema Warner, who is professionally known as Noname. She is an American rapper, poet, and producer. Noname Book Club is both an online and offline community (The club started in 2019 with IRL book club meetups, but they had to go online because of COVID-19) of readers dedicated to bringing the voice of the people of color to the surface. Every month the club picks two books that are written by authors who are people of color.
Noname Book Club has built significant partnerships with libraries to ensure their picks are available for readers. The club also has black-owned and POC-owned bookstore partners across America and the world. You can find the list on their official website. Here are some of my favorite picks from the Noname Book Club list of selections – The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, and The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker.
5. #ReadWithJenna by Jenna Bush Hager (TODAY)
Jenna Bush Hager is undoubtedly one of my favorite people to look up to for book recommendations. Her intellectual genius and personality add much substance to every book she discusses. For those unaware, Jenna Bush Hager is an American author and journalist. She is known for NBC’s Morning program ‘Today with Hoda & Jenna,’ in which she is a co-host. She is also the daughter of 43rd US President George W. Bush.
#ReadWithJenna is a book club by Today where Jenna Bush Hager shares her book recommendations that she independently chooses. Here are a bunch of book picks I loved from the book club – Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin, and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
6. Goop Book Club by Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow already had her lifestyle website called Goop up and running. In 2020, she started a book club as a part of Goop. Goop Book Club is all about connecting with fellow readers and talking about real and fictional stories as an initiative to start talking about important issues. Here are some of my favorites from Goop Book Club picks – Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, Immediate Family by Ashley Nelson Levy, and Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej.
7. Shondaland Book Club by Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes is a famous American Television producer and screenwriter who founded Shondaland, an American Television Production company. Shondaland produced the favorite medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. The Shondaland Book Club isn’t an official club, but the website offers an incredible catalog of book-related content ideal for readers. You will find several fantastic book recommendations. Here are some of my favorite picks from the Shondaland Book Club – This Bird Has Flown by Susanna Hoffs and Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho.
8. Fallon Book Club by Jimmy Fallon
I am a huge Jimmy Fallon fan. I love how he treats his guests and find him super funny. In 2021 Jimmy Fallon brought back the #FallonSummerReads book club as a part of The Tonight Show. In this segment, Jimmy Fallon introduces a bunch of books he picked after some research. He then talks a bit about each book to give the audience an idea. The audience can then vote for one book out of the bunch, which will be the Summer read, which everyone will read over the Summer. The Summer read for last year was Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, a novel by Gabrielle Zevin.
9. Netflix Book Club with Uzo Aduba
Isn’t it an incredible feeling when you know that the book you just finished reading has a movie adaptation or is supposed to be made into a movie or a tv show? Netflix Book Club by Uzo Aduba is different from your average book club. Uzo Aduba herself has starred in a book adaptation on Netflix, making her the ideal person to host this Book club. A lot goes on behind the scenes while adapting a book. It’s a critical process to transport the magic of a book into a movie.
I particularly loved the conversation between Uzo Aduba and the author Julia Quinn about Bridgerton season 2. It pumped me up to watch the following season. Also, if you are a coffee lover, there is one more exciting thing to keep you hooked to the book club. Netflix partnered with Starbucks for the book club, where you will see Uzo Aduba talking about books and their adaptation with fellow authors over a Starbucks coffee. Well, can it get any better than this? I don’t think so!
10. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
In our day-to-day life, we often forget what a great blessing it is to be literate. Dolly Parton is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. Many people need to learn that Dolly Parton is also a philanthropist. Parton’s father’s inability to read and write inspired her to build Imagination Library in 1995 to promote literacy. She started from her home county, and today, her program provides over two million free books each month to kids globally. You can find a whole list of books on the Imagination Library Website. These books are age-appropriate so that you can pick reads for your children. And while you are visiting the website, you can go through their donation page and see if you can help in any way.
There is genuinely no other greater joy than reading books. Being a part of a book club is like the cherry on top. Let us know which celebrity book club you will be joining.